The present invention relates generally to mounting fixtures and more particularly to a mounting bracket for a xe2x80x9cslatwall,xe2x80x9d which is a wall provided with elongated horizontally extending grooves.
Slatwall is used in a wide variety of applications for storing and displaying products, tools, and accessories. Examples of the industries in which slatwall is used include retail display, closet storage, and office furniture. As is well known, a slatwall is a wall panel formed from metal, pressed board or other suitable material into which a plurality of regularly spaced, horizontally extending grooves of L-shaped or T-shaped cross section are formed. Various different accessories such as brackets, shelves, baskets, and the like are available which are specially designed for fitting into the grooves of the slatwall so that items can be conveniently hung or otherwise supported thereon.
A typical slatwall-mounting bracket includes a flat base plate and some type of cantilever element for fitting into one of the groves. The cantilever element is generally an L-shaped hook that extends perpendicularly from the base plate and then forms a corner that turns upwards. The base plate generally lies flat against the slatwall, so that accessories such as hooks, racks, and shelves can be attached to its outer face. The L-shaped hook fits into a slatwall groove such that the vertical portion of the hook bears against the inner surface of the groove, and the horizontal portion sits on the lower groove ledge.
In operation, the slatwall bracket is manually hung from a desired groove on the slatwall. First, the L-shaped hook is inserted into the opening of a slatwall groove with the base plate oriented perpendicularly to the slatwall. The corner portion of the hook is then rotated about the slatwall groove ledge until the hook fully engages the groove and the base plate bears against the front surface of the slatwall. Once the bracket is hung, any desired accessory can be attached to the base plate. Alternatively, some brackets are permanently attached to a particular accessory, which may be used as soon as the bracket is hung. In some cases, a plurality of slatwall brackets are used in combination to support accessories too large or heavy for a single bracket.
Unfortunately, conventional slatwall brackets can be relatively easily inadvertently dislodged from the slatwall after installation. While conventional brackets remain in position well under load, they are easily moved when subjected to upward forces. The same rotation that allows the bracket to be easily installed in the slatwall also allows the bracket to rotate away from the wall when a force pulls on the bracket. In a worst case scenario, a person may accidentally knock a bracket and any attached accessory completely off the wall if a force is applied in the wrong direction.
The aforementioned problems are overcome by the present invention, wherein a slatwall bracket is provided with a removable cover that slides over the base plate to prevent unwanted or inadvertent dislodgment of the bracket. The cover extends above the top edge of the base plate to prevent rotation of the bracket. Consequently, any potentially dislodging force simply presses the cover against the slatwall without rotation.
The bracket is installed on the slatwall in the conventional manner, and then the cover is placed over the planar body such that the cover extends above the groove opening in which the bracket was inserted. The inside face of the cover extension bears against the face of the slatwall to prevent any rotation of the bracket.
In a preferred embodiment, the cover is a rectangular planar body that has a vertical length longer than that of the base plate, such that the cover fits over the entire length of the base plate in addition to extending above the base plate.
In another preferred embodiment, the cover is slidable over the base plate. More specifically, the horizontal cross section of the base plate is T-shaped, and the horizontal cross section of the cover is C-shaped, such that after the bracket is installed, the cover can slide over the base plate with the C-shaped cover wrapping around the ears of the T-shaped base plate, holding the cover in place. Two small ledges near the top of the inside of the cover engage the base plate to properly position in the installed position, ensuring that a portion of the cover extends above the top of the base plate.
In a further preferred embodiment, the cover includes some type of accessory attachment, enabling a variety of conventional accessories to be attached to and hung from the cover. This avoids any purchase or remanufacturing of modified slatwall accessories, making the present invention easily adaptable to exiting slatwall accessories.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and the drawings.